Huge Snake problems

[RRRescue]

Maybe you need to figure out where the snake den is located. That many snakes usually mean's that they have a den nearby and are breeding. Just turning them loose outside of your coop isn't going to make them magically go away. They know where the food is at, and will return. I had to deal with one ratsnake early last fall.

Keeping snakes OUT is the key...Let the possums eat them...Those that are outside will help control rats & mice that are smaller ....Hardware cloth is the Fix that works....3' high....cant climb it or get through

 

[RRRescue]

My pro trapper sells these for indoor (garage/attic) use. I provide habitat with my Watergarden and "raise" frogs, toads lizards...which help in my garden/farm. Even minnow traps catch mostly frogs. You can't trap "only" snakes, according to the trapper.

........The worst 2 things to use is Glue Traps....& poisons...They affect everything including beneficial wildlife....they cannot go thru hardware cloth holes....A half inch head can't swallow a chicken

Maybe you need to figure out where the snake den is located. That many snakes usually mean's that they have a den nearby and are breeding. Just turning them loose outside of your coop isn't going to make them magically go away. They know where the food is at, and will return. I had to deal with one ratsnake early last fall.

 

[HeatherN]

I was wondering....two things. I saw somewhere, maybe Youtube that people were using Minnow traps to catch snakes and baiting them with fresh chicken eggs. They did catch them! Despite my loathing I can't directly kill anything, so trapping them and moving them 30 miles across the Missouri River sounds good to me.

This should work well if you need to trap most types of snakes. If snakes are going for your eggs, minnow traps work very well (in my experience). You will probably trap more if you obscure/wrap the cloth in an opaque/light-blocking material so the snake is more likely to take the bait.
Cannot speak to the electric netting.

 

[WGHowell]

I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago . I had some young bantam chicks in the run and I noticed that I was missing some one morning . My brother was there with his dog and that's how I found out I had a large rat snake eating my chicks. The bad thing was he was hiding right under my nose and I didn't even realize it until then. He was hiding right in the chicken coop . Well I no longer has a snake problem . The problem was solved with a 12 gauge shotgun. No more snake and my chicks are doing well now. I know that everyone can't do what I did but the dog caught this one red handed with the evidence in his gut. Lead is a good deterrent for snakes. they do make some thing called snake away I think it can be found at walmart if you are interested in trying it.

 

[Phneyda]

snakes are ok in the woods and fields, not in the yard, the coop, the barn or the garden.

WHAT?!? No, of course snakes are ok in the yard or the garden. They don’t just disappear because someone turns their habitat into a subdivision. Snakes don’t know about property titles or zoning. Non-poisonous snakes are harmless and beneficial in the garden. I’d rather have a beautiful snake slithering around my garden over those chipmunks digging up everything.

It’s when they are killing your poultry you have a problem. But for a human (the supposedly more intelligent being) to just kill the snake for being a snake doing snake things is just lazy and means one fewer snake hit man for gardeners like me.

SNAKES CAN LEARN! If you catch a snake and give it a very bad experience (shake it up in the pillow case) or leave it out in netting exposed to the world and then go dump it far away somewhere out in the bright wide open that snake could be so traumatized you won’t have to worry about it again and it will live another day to catch mice and chipmunks!

OP if there is a sudden explosion of particular snake populations, then you could be witnessing the phenomenon of overshoot & collapse (once you reach the “food” section the article gets depressing quick). So if there is an explosion of snake species that have similar habitat requirements it’s an indication that conditions were right for population overshoot. Collapse may be in sight, but until then killing the snakes getting into your coop may be the best thing for you and the ecosystem.

If it’s just one or two snakes, dogs (or cats!) on the property could help. Then prevention via fencing and deterrents like clearings and sulphuric are important.

 

[schmedlap]

I have dogs in the yard. they get curious about the snake, and could be bit.
Snakes in the yard will be shot.
You can give your snakes a hug and ask them to play nice if you want, but not in my yard.

 

[Phneyda]

I have dogs in the yard. they get curious about the snake, and could be bit.
Snakes in the yard will be shot.
You can give your snakes a hug and ask them to play nice if you want, but not in my yard.

I never kiss my noodle. She’s happy with just hanging out around my neck and I never never worry about her playing nice. Two of my dogs are terriers. If they got bit by my snake or a wild snake I’d have a dead snake and a proud dog. My snake doesn’t free roam at all, has clips and pins on her tank, and but I still worry because people hate snakes so much. It would never dawn on some people if she were to get loose in the house or the yard and they stumbled upon her that she is a truly loved and cherished pet thats never bitten anyone and who would be so missed that I get misty eyed just thinking about. No, they’d grab a gun or a shovel and kill her. I understand fretting about wild noods, but I don’t understand the immediate reaction to kill a snake if they aren’t poisonous and aren’t killing any poultry. They could be someone’s pet. Just being a snake shouldn’t be a death sentence.
I think I will go hug my noodle.

 

[CreveChris]

WHAT?!? No, of course snakes are ok in the yard or the garden. They don’t just disappear because someone turns their habitat into a subdivision. Snakes don’t know about property titles or zoning. Non-poisonous snakes are harmless and beneficial in the garden. I’d rather have a beautiful snake slithering around my garden over those chipmunks digging up everything.

It’s when they are killing your poultry you have a problem. But for a human (the supposedly more intelligent being) to just kill the snake for being a snake doing snake things is just lazy and means one fewer snake hit man for gardeners like me.

SNAKES CAN LEARN! If you catch a snake and give it a very bad experience (shake it up in the pillow case) or leave it out in netting exposed to the world and then go dump it far away somewhere out in the bright wide open that snake could be so traumatized you won’t have to worry about it again and it will live another day to catch mice and chipmunks!

OP if there is a sudden explosion of particular snake populations, then you could be witnessing the phenomenon of overshoot & collapse (once you reach the “food” section the article gets depressing quick). So if there is an explosion of snake species that have similar habitat requirements it’s an indication that conditions were right for population overshoot. Collapse may be in sight, but until then killing the snakes getting into your coop may be the best thing for you and the ecosystem.

If it’s just one or two snakes, dogs (or cats!) on the property could help. Then prevention via fencing and deterrents like clearings and sulphuric are important.

It's up to the habitat curator what lives in the habitat. We have one black racer per thousands of garden helpers (native anole lizards and Southern toads). We don't tolerate water moccasins (which only appear after hurricanes push them onto our acreage from the intracoastal). Every land owner has her own rules.

My sister-in-law laments the law of our land. But she doesn't have dogs and chickens, or acreage to maintain. It's an eye-roller for us. Every gardener and farmer is a murderer to her.

We've worked hard to use sustainable, organic methods to curate our small farm and wildlife habitat. If you don't have rules, you have chaos. We build fences and use a lot of 1/2-inch hardware cloth. Husky pee works wonders.

We have created habitat for our wildlife and continually strive to strike a balance. Here's a photo of our resident snake who is far away from our chickens and dogs, happy in the butterfly garden. He particularly loves the pipevine.

 

[Phneyda]

I never kiss my noodle. She’s happy with just hanging out around my neck and I never never worry about her playing nice. Two of my dogs are terriers. If they got bit by my snake or a wild snake I’d have a dead snake and a proud dog. My snake doesn’t free roam at all, has clips and pins on her tank, and but I still worry because people hate snakes so much. It would never dawn on some people if she were to get loose in the house or the yard and they stumbled upon her that she is a truly loved and cherished pet thats never bitten anyone and who would be so missed that I get misty eyed just thinking about. No, they’d grab a gun or a shovel and kill her. I understand fretting about wild noods, but I don’t understand the immediate reaction to kill a snake if they aren’t poisonous and aren’t killing any poultry. They could be someone’s pet. Just being a snake shouldn’t be a death sentence.
I think I will go hug my noodle.

I have dogs in the yard. they get curious about the snake, and could be bit.
Snakes in the yard will be shot.
You can give your snakes a hug and ask them to play nice if you want, but not in my yard.

My apologies for getting emotional. Everyone is free to protect their animals from potential danger. I don’t agree with the how. I understand the why. You love your dogs. I shouldn’t express my frustration in a space meant to help, educate, and empower others and I definitely shouldn’t aim that frustration at you. I grew so terrified of snakes I would lay on the floor. So I shouldn’t act like I don’t get it. I hope one day you meet a nice snake that warms you to them like Zaffy did mine. I was being a judgmental a&$. I’m sorry and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving (without snakes)


But juuuuust in case you live in my neighborhood. Please don’t shoot this one particular snake if she gets in your yard. She’ll be wearing a knitted sweater if I ever finish it